Welcome back to SunnyRoomStudio.
For our mini-trilogy this month, I want to briefly return to the Ram Dass quote because it invites awareness on so many levels.
“Our journey is about being more deeply involved in Life and yet less attached to it.”
― Ram Dass
It seems to me that being more deeply involved in Life automatically leads to less attachment (in the healthy sense). For one thing, as we explore the deeper mysteries more closely, more consistently, we begin to see that what we are attached to is often our own ideas. Our own way of approaching spirituality, for instance. But in becoming less attached to what may only be habitual or convenient or traditional, we open many doors that were invisible to us before.
In exploring the depths of the ocean, for example, we begin to see there is much more to the cold deep waters than what the surface reveals to us. It’s really a choice we make at some point. If we fear the depths of our internal world, we will shy away from it — we may even pretend it doesn’t exist, saying “it is beyond me.” Or we may adopt a set of beliefs that others created, somehow deciding that our “truth” also resides there. So why explore further?
It’s been my experience that many of us “try” to adopt a set of external beliefs, but then something changes in our lives — a catalyst comes along and we dig deeper. Often because we feel we have no choice. The old system doesn’t work anymore. So we look for a personal truth that resonates on a deeper level. This can be a magical process, can’t it? And sometimes the process repeats in our lives. More than one catalyst shows up, or we decide to continue to explore more deeply regardless of our lifestyle or life circumstances.
But there is yet another element of wisdom in the Ram Dass quote. How do you interpret “more deeply involved in Life” — is there more than one way to view this?
For one thing, it seems a good reminder to get beyond the short attention span orientation that seems to be a cultural bias these days. Can we really be more deeply involved in Life when we are constantly focused on new, different, or more? I wonder.
Next week, as our mini-trilogy concludes, I’d love to know what you think
about the Ram Dass quote and how you might apply it to your life. ~ dh
See you next Friday, September 26, for part three of our September trilogy.
Thanks for stopping by this sunny space for kindred spirits, now in Year 5.
Remember: If you haven’t looked within, you haven’t looked.
